Luminous warning device with interchangeable telltale lamp for various electric circuits



7 Sept. 2, 1959 v. RUSSENBERGER 3,465,335

LUMINOUS WARNING DEVICE WITH INTERCHANGEABLE TELLTALE LAMP FOR VARIOUS ELECTRIC CIRCUITS Filed April 4, 1966. 2 Sheets-Sheet l I ie1 l4 75 uT/g Z3 T/{K/7 1 l V. RUSSENBERGER LUMINOUS WARNING DEVICE WITH INTERCHANGEABLE TELLTALE Sept. 2, 1969 LAMP FOR VARIOUS ELECTRIC CIRCUITS 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed April 4, 1966 f M h I. 84 0 6 ai /0 H 7 United States Patent 3,465,335 LUMINOUS WARNING DEVICE WITH INTER- CHANGEABLE TELLTALE LAMP FOR VARI- OUS ELECTRIC CIRCUITS Victor Russenberger, 40 Ave. de la Source, Nogent-sur-Marne, France Filed Apr. 4, 1966, Ser. No. 539,678 Claims priority, appliclztion France, Apr. 7, 1965,

US. Cl. 340381 3 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An inexpensive easily-assembled Warning light including a tubular casing housing two terminal blades which extend through and are locked in the bottom of the casing, with each engaging one contact of a lamp held by a plastic lamp-holder which inserts in the front end of the tubular casing.

The present invention relates to a new luminous warning device for various electric circuits, devised in a simple but strongly built manner, to enable mass production at a low unit cost price.

The particular idea of one object of the invention is to reduce as far as possible the number of various parts from which the device is made, so as to reduce, to a corresponding extent, both mounting operations and risks of bad workmanship likely to result in defective operation.

Furthermore, another object of the invention is to enable miniature elements to be easily produced and used to comprise an interchangeable telltale lamp.

According to the invention, the device consists of a tubular body of insulating material able to a accommodate a lamp-holder also of insulating material, which is light-transmissive, either transparent or at least translucent, with the tubular body made to surround a removable miniature lamp whose metal base cooperates laterally and by a central contact piece, on the one hand, with a resiliently distortable step, and on the other, with a tuned over lug, respectively formed by two connection terminals carried by the base of the body, with the ends of the terminals outside said base being connected to two electric conductors.

Various other characteristics of the invention will moreover be revealed by the detailed description which follows.

One embodiment of the invention is shown by way of non-restrictive example, in the attached drawing.

FIG. 1 is a longitudinal elevation-section of the device according to the invention.

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal elevation-section of one of the elements of which the device is formed.

FIG. 3 is a cross section view taken along the line III- III of FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a cross section view taken along the line IVIV of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are front and side elevations showing the particular shape of two of the elements forming the device.

FIG. 7 is a longitudinal elevation-section of another element forming the device.

According to the drawing, and more particularly FIGS. 1 to 3, the luminous warning device, according to the invention, chiefly comprises a tubular body 1 made of any suitable insulating material, preferably of a suitable plastic material. The tubular body 1 is molded with external threads 2 extending from a peripheral shoulder 3 whichforms a bearing element for mounting the body 1 against a support panel 4 diagrammatized by dotted lines.

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In a known manner, the threading 2 is provided for positioning a nut whose tightening enables the body 1 to be held on the support panel 4.

The molding of the tubular body 1 is done so as to provide a base portion or bottom 5 bordered by an internal shoulder 6 connecting said base portion to the inside wall 7 of the body 1. The bottom or base 5 has openings 9, preferably three in number, equidistantly spaced, as can be seen in FIG. 3. These openings 9 are formed in the thick part of the internal shoulder 6 and extend over a selected angular extent to form housings 10 for positioning at least two connection terminals 11 and 12 respectively shown in FIGS. 5 and 6.

According to FIG. 5, the connection terminal 11 is made of a curved metal blade, preferably of bronze or brass, cut so as to form, starting from the body 11a, an end 11b machined so as to enable the connection by any suitable means, with an electric conductor (not shown). The body 11a is cut to provide two notches 11c and two lugs or catches 11d which extend to the same width as body 11a. The latter is also shaped at its top part, with two flanges which extend laterally more than the width of said body. The body 11:: also extends beyond the flanges 11e to an axial lug 11f bent over in a plane substantially normal to the plane of body 11a.

As can be seen from FIG. 6, the terminal 12 has a shape appreciably similar to that of the terminal 11. For this reason, similar elements are designated by the reference numeral 12 with the same postscripts, a, b The body 12a of the connection terminal 12 extends beyond the flanges He by a lug 12f which is appreciabl bent over at its middle to form a step or shoulder 12g which is offset, in relation to the general plane of the connection terminal 12, internally to the concave face of the latter.

The mounting of the connection terminals 11 and 12 takes place in an identical manner in any two housings 10 of a tubular body. For example, the terminal 12, the housing 10 diametrically across from to a rib 13 molded on inner wall of the bore 7. To mount the connection terminals 11 and 12, it is only necessary to insert the lower ends 11b and 12b in the openings 9, so that they extend externally from the bottom 5. The position of maximum insertion is determined by the flanges He and 12e which are intended to bear on the upper edge of shoulder 6. With the terminals in this position, lugs 11d and 12d are bent back, as can be seen in FIG. 4, so as to engage portions of bottom 5 which form abutments to prevent disengagement of the connection terminals 11 and 12.

The body 1 made up and assembled, as described above, is ready to receive a removable lamp-holder 14 moulded to include a head 15 and by a tubular ferrule 17. The free end of the ferrule has an internal peripheric groove 18 (FIG. 7) intended to ensure, due to the relative elasticity imparted to the ferrule by two axial slots 19, maintaining of the shoulder 20 of the metal base 21 of a telltale lamp 22 normally arranged to extend into the bore or inside 23 of lamp-holder 14, which is advantageously made of a transparent or translucent insulating material.

In other words, lamp 21 can be fixedly secured in lamp holder 14 by merely pushing the lamp into holder 14 until the flange 20 of the lamp seats in the internal annular groove 18 provided in holder 14. Axial slots 19, 19 along the sides of holder 14 allow the holder to resiliently deform as the lamp is inserted, and then the resiliency of the holder holds the lamp sungly in place within holder 14, gripping the lamp flange.

As can be seen in FIG. 1, mounting of the pre-assembled lamp-holder 14 into tubular body 1 is eifected by simple insertion. The angular direction initially given to the lamp-holder 14 is selected so that one of the axial slots 19 of the tubular ferrule 17 faces the internal rib 13 of the body 1. This rib forms an angular aligning element, also ensuring straight guiding-on of the lamp-holder 14 during its insertion. At the end of penetration, the terminal shoulder 20 of the lamp base 21 is made to engage the step or shoulder 12g of the connection terminal 12, which, being situated in the second slot 19 of the ferrule 17, can be subjected to an elastic outward distortion which is permitted by an opening 24 made in the Wall of the tubular body 1. After the terminal shoulder 20 is past step 12g, the spring return of step 12g against lamp base 21 helps to provide axial locking of the lamp 22, and also of the lamp-holder 14 because these two elements are held attached to each other by the internal rim 18. In other words, as a lamp holder with a lamp lodged inside is inserted into outer housing 1, axiallyextending rib 13 of the housing extends into one axial slot 19 of the holder 14 and ensures that the lamp and lamp holder is guided in straight, and when the assembly has been inserted far enough into the outer casing 1, flange 20 of the lamp passes the protruding portion 12g of terminal 12 to lock the lamp 21, and hence also the lamp holder 14, in place, with the protrusion 12g resiliently pressing against the side of the lamp. Thus it will be seen that the lamp assembly is assembled by merely snapping a lamp into place in holder 14, and then snapping the holder-lamp combination into place in the outer casing 1. No parts need be screwed together, which is a considerable advantage, and the holder always has a predetermined angular orientation relative to the outer casing, so that indicia on the holder will not be tilted or upside down, as often happens if a lamp cover has to be screwed into a fixed housing. The insertion of the lampholder 14 in the body 1 also tends to apply, simultaneously with the elastic distortion or compression given to the step 12g, a compression exerted by central stud 25 of lamp base 21 on the bent over resilient lug 11] of the connection terminal 11. To ensure contact solely level with the stud 25, the base 21 of the lamp 22 is provided, around said stud, with an insulating patch 26.

The simultaneous contact of the connection terminals 11 and 12 respectively with the central stud 25 and base 21 completes the circuit of the conductors connected to terminal ends 11b and 12b and hence causes, when the corresponding circuit is energized, the illumination of said lamp 22, which then fulfills its function as a telltale or warning lamp intended to show or remind the user that said circuit is energized.

The luminous warning device described above, whose applications may be multiple, has the important advantage of being of great simplicity and it also enables one to use lamp 22 of either the filament type or neon type. Moreover, in the event of the lamp becoming disabled, such as if the filament breaks, the user can easily disengage the lamp-holder 14 from the body 1 to extract the worn-out lamp and replace it by inserting a new lamp. In other words, the lamp and lamp holder may be removed easily by merely pulling holder 14 outwardly so that flange 20 of the lamp snaps past protrusion 12g of blade 12. As described above, the mounting of the lamp holder with a newly fitted lamp may be effected by axial insertion, without the risk of a wrong move capable of disturbing the general working of the device,

One of the advantages of the device described above lies in its great simplicity and in the small number of parts required, enabling mass production to be effected at a low cost price.

I claim:

1. An interchangeable light assembly, comprising, in combination: a tubular body of insulating material having a base portion, a lamp-holder, an electric lamp adapted to be snapped into a fixed position within said lamp holder, said lamp having a generally cylindrical base providing a side contact area, a lower central contact and an outwardly extending annular flange separating said side contact area and said lower central contact, said lamp-holder comprising a tubular portion having an inside diameter approximating the diameter of said base of said lamp and an annular recess approximating the diameter of said flange, and said tubular portion of said lamp holder being resiliently deformable so that said lamp may be inserted within said lamp holder and locked in position by said flange seating within said recess; a first connection terminal extending through said base portion and having a resilient inner end portion adapted to urge a protruberant portion of said inner end portion inwardly within said tubular body, whereby axial insertion of said lamp holder with said lamp locked in position within said lamp holder into said tubular body without rotation of said lamp holder and lamp relative to said tubular body causes said flange portion of said lamp to cam said resilient inner end portion of said terminal outwardly and then for said resilient inner end portion to seat against said side contact area, both detachably locking said lamp and lamp holder in said tubular body and making electrical contact with said lamp; and a second connection terminal extending through said base portion and having a resilient portion extending to engage said lower central contact.

2. An assembly according to claim 1 in which said tubular portion of said lamp holder includes at least one axially-extending slot to render said portion resiliently deformable.

3. An assembly according to claim 1 in which said tubular portion of said lamp holder includes at least one axially-extending slot open at one end of said tubular portion and said tubular body includes an internal rib adapted to engage and seat in said slot to align said lamp holder and said tubular body as said lamp holder is inserted into said tubular body.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,005,863 6/1935 Koch 340-381 2,760,185 8/1956 Held 340321 3,246,320 4/1966 Houbolt 340-381 2,825,896 3/1958 Schellman et al. 340381 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,045,542 12/1958 Germany.

JOHN W. CALDWELL, Primary Examiner CHARLES M. MARMELSTEIN, Assistant Examiner 

